Help Taylan beat brain cancer

Hi, my name is Beckie and I am Taylan's auntie.

I write this with a heavy heart on behalf of my sister Laura and her husband Toygun because our family needs your help.

What they are going through is simply unimaginable.

Just a few weeks ago their precious only child, 5 year old Taylan was a bright and happy little boy, loving life and with his whole future ahead of him… and then their lives changed forever.

On Tuesday 30th May Laura took Taylan to the GP after she noticed he was losing balance when walking or running and was complaining of a headache.

The GP told them to go straight to the hospital for further tests.

After a CT scan and an MRI scan and the longest few days of their life waiting for the results the doctors confirmed the utterly devastating news that Taylan had a tumour on his brain.

Without yet knowing if the tumour was benign or cancerous an urgent operation was imperative to save his life and was scheduled for a few days later.

Taylan endured a 6 hour operation and the surgeons were able to remove the majority of the tumour but devastatingly, when Taylan came round it was evident he was suffering from Posterior Fossa Syndrome (PFS). This is a collection of side effects as a direct result from the surgery on the cerebellum - the back part of the brain. It has left Taylan with vision issues, a weakened one side of his body and perhaps the most upsetting symptom, he has lost his ability to speak.

Then came the diagnosis.

The words of every parents nightmare. ‘Your son has brain cancer’.

High grade Medulloblastoma. Aggressive and fast growing.

Utterly life shattering, the news is still so raw and it truly hasn’t sunk in.

I doubt it ever will.

It’s simply a living nightmare.

Taylan faces a 9 months of intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy across various hospitals far from home including Manchester.

Not only is he battling the recovery from major surgery, he also has the debilitating Posterior Fossa Syndrome and the prospect of months and months of treatment.

So much for a little 5 year old to take.

He is fighting really hard to get strong enough for the imminent treatment.

Learning to sit, walk, drink and eat all over again is no easy feat. Physiotherapy will be ongoing. It is not known if or when his vision and his speech will fully return.

To hear him say ‘mummy’ and ‘Daddy’ again one day will be the greatest sound.

It’s almost his 6th birthday. The party celebrations are on hold. He will be mid way into radiotherapy. We want to make sure his 7th birthday and beyond is happy and bright celebrating with his family and friends. His classmates miss him. Even the family cat Nala missed him and wants him home. The sunflowers he recently planted at home with mummy are growing without him.

Just 52 children a year are diagnosed with Medulloblastoma in the UK.

So rare and you never expect it to happen to your loved one, but it’s happening and they need help and support in so many ways.

We don’t know what the future holds and we are praying he responds well to the radiotherapy and chemotherapy. We want to be ready for any privately funded treatments here or abroad that Taylan may need to beat this.

It’s a long road ahead for Taylan, Laura and Toygun and with this comes huge financial difficulties. Both Laura and Toygun will be with Taylan every step of the way as understandably every ounce of their time and energy is focused on their beautiful boy and getting him well again.

I desperately want them to keep their home and to alleviate the costs of travel, bills, accommodation, physiotherapy, possible amendments at home and anything else that should arise.

I am reaching out to anyone who is able to make a donation to help support my sister and her beautiful family. The love and support from friends and family near and far will be what gets them through this.

Every donation is welcomed with huge gratitude and an eternal thank you.

Let’s get Taylan home again. x